Head Teacher

About This Role

Friends Center for Children in New Haven, CT is seeking a qualified Head Teacher to work with Infant / Toddler (0–2) in a center-based environment. This position requires the appropriate professional qualifications.

Job Summary

Friends Center is an early childhood education center providing year-round, full-time care for children ages 3 months to 5 years. We foster a child-centered, hands-on learning environment that promotes creative play and developmentally-appropriate activities. Our value-based curriculum is guided by Quaker principles, including simplicity, peace, integrity, community, equity, and stewardship. As a cooperative organization, we value diversity and collaborative relationships between parents and teachers. Our mission is to educate children, empower families, inspire teachers, engage community, and embrace diversity.

What You'll Do

• Teaching:

  • In collaboration with colleagues, plans, supervises, and implements a curriculum that reflects Quaker values and best practices, tailoring activities to children’s interests and developmental needs.
  • Ensures the physical, social-emotional, and cognitive needs of all children are met.
  • Provides children with center materials that align with our philosophy.
  • Maintains organized, clean, and engaging classrooms, updating materials and displays bi-monthly to meet children’s needs.

• Modeling:

  • Maintains a positive attitude and demeanor with the Executive Director, School Director, families, and other teachers.
  • Mentors teaching staff and models best practices for parent-cooperative volunteers.
  • Models child guidelines for teachers, assistant teachers, aides, and parents.
  • Fosters positive relationships among staff, parents, guardians, and volunteers.

• Supervision:

  • Communicates daily with families and other teachers, documenting children’s progress.
  • Counsels weekly meetings with teachers to discuss curriculum planning, student observations, and communication.
  • Supervises teachers, assistant teachers, parents, guardians, and volunteers during group activities.
  • Meets weekly to discuss children, families, and teaching teams.
  • Provides feedback to the Executive Director and School Director for formal observations of teachers.

• Assessment:

  • Participates in ongoing evaluations of children through daily observations, weekly work samples, and written assessments.
  • Conferences biannually with families, developing goals for each child.
  • Provides ongoing evaluations as needed to assess children’s developmental levels.
  • Collaborates with the School Director and Emotional Well-Being Coordinator to support referrals for families as needed.

• Professional Development:

  • Attends all staff meetings.
  • Maintains required continuing education hours, staying current with best practices and theory.
  • Participates in required early childhood meetings, conferences, and events.
  • Incorporates all continuing education certificates into the personnel file.

Requirements

• Qualifications:

  • Bachelor's Degree in Early Childhood Development and/or Education.
  • CPR certified or ability to complete training.
  • Ability to communicate fluently in written and spoken English.
  • Excellent organizational skills.
  • Computer literacy.
  • Two years of Early Childhood Education experience.
  • Cultural sensitivity and proven ability to work with a diverse population.
  • Experience working in a cooperative model a plus.
  • Fluency in Spanish or other second language preferred.

• Physical Requirements:

  • Vision and hearing must be within normal range so as to be able to provide sight and sound supervision.
  • Ability to lift and carry 40 lbs.
  • Ability to bend, sit on the floor for prolonged periods and get up again is required.

Benefits

This Head Teacher role pays $45,000 to $55,000/Yr. This job is Full Time. Friends Center for Children is located at 227 East Grand Avenue, New Haven, CT.